


The Things We Don't Tell X

by Kyu_Momo



Series: The Things We Don't Tell Red [2]
Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X, Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Axl is good at acting like he's okay, Time Travel, read: AXL IS NOT OKAY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 15:13:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30124722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyu_Momo/pseuds/Kyu_Momo
Summary: Axl is a puzzle. Zero hates puzzles.
Series: The Things We Don't Tell Red [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2215881
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	The Things We Don't Tell X

**Author's Note:**

> shoutouts to Connectors and Fasteners by JanitorBot for the animaloid bit. I was thinking of that scene when I wrote that part. :D
> 
> This will make a lot more sense if you read part 1 first!
> 
> Not shown:
> 
> Red: WHERE MY BOY AT?!

Zero leaned back against the wall of the observation room with his arms crossed, silently listening to Signas' and X’s conversation at his side while he studied the intruder.

“This entire situation is unprecedented…” Signas muttered.

Zero couldn’t help but agree.

Normally Mavericks were _destroyed,_ not brought into headquarters. Criminals Reploids who were arrested were generally brought down to the booking and holding area for mugshots, scans, and data collection before being thrown in a cell to await interrogation, with the more violent cases warranting more violent treatment and stronger electro cuffs. X preferred gentler methods but knew that they weren’t always feasible, even though he wished it were otherwise. Meanwhile, Zero was used to bringing Mavericks into HQ in _pieces,_ if at all.

This case, meanwhile, was still being debated. For starters, was the intruder to be classified as Maverick or not?

Zero, having slain his fair share of Mavericks over the years, generally knew what to expect on his missions to exterminate them. Mavericks were a violent lot, generally killing or destroying whatever got in their way, be it humans, Reploids, or buildings. They also couldn’t be reasoned with. Zero had come across a wide spectrum of insanity in his years as a Maverick Hunter and had to deal with everything from inane babbling, to insisting that killing everything that dared breathe was perfectly okay, all the way down to viewing themselves as evolution incarnate. There were exceptions occasionally, Animaloids who had been tampered with and panicked when they could no longer do their jobs, Reploids unable to handle their dire living situations and lashing out… Zero had seen X talk down his fair share of Mavericks and seen things handled peacefully, but unfortunately it was rather rare.

This situation though was on an entirely different level. Maverick Headquarters had some of the most insane technological security that Zero had ever seen, everything from constant cyber scans, to state of the art security personnel, drones, and, systems, down to constant Guard rotations and changing patrol routes. And yet here they were, with a young Reploid having infiltrated the most heavily guarded building in the area as easy as breathing. And apparently, from what little security footage hadn’t been tampered with, he’d been under their noses for hours, and if it hadn’t been for X’s curiosity about an unfamiliar face, they might not have even noticed the breach to begin with.

X had relayed the story to Zero later. HQ was always bustling with new recruits and new faces, but there was also plenty of veterans willing to train the newcomers. And X was as charismatic as it got. He was very fond of socializing with recruits, and his fellow Hunters when he wasn’t at his desk filling out reports and going through paperwork. He liked to get to know people. He liked to remember their faces and interact with them. So when he’d seen Nael, a Reploid who had retired from the Hunters a few days ago, X had, naturally, gone to greet them. He was surprised to see them back so soon and was worried that something had happened.

X admitted that he wasn’t sure if he’d have been able to see through it if the intruder hadn’t made a mistake. Nael’s voice and mannerism were the same as always and X and the Reploid had chatted casually for a few minutes, with Nael explaining that they had forgotten some of their personal effects in their locker. They had said their goodbyes, and X relayed that he was glad to see Nael again and was thankful that the other Reploid had found a new job that he enjoyed. X wished him well and went to pat the younger Reploid on the head.

Nael had violently flinched away from him as if he’d been struck and suddenly X had found himself staring into wide, fearful eyes and an unfamiliar face.

The intruder had fled without a word, X calling after him to stop, and somehow security personnel had taken X’s running after a Reploid down the hall as a call to arms, a fact that X was still understandably upset about, and chaos had ensued. It had quickly become apparent that the security was rapidly outclassed and X had had no choice but to give chase when it became clear that he was the only one capable of keeping up with the intruder. But then the security systems and alarms started blaring and the violence had started. The intruder was being attacked and responded by meeting force with force, expertly firing heavily modified plasma pistols that X hadn’t even been aware he’d had on him until suddenly people were being wounded and their mechanical defenses were being systematically destroyed as the intruder made his escape.

In the chaos, X had tried to de-escalate the situation but had found that he had his hands full simply keeping the intruder in his sights. Zero had been informed of the situation at some point and had joined in, with X not even having a precious few seconds to call out that he didn’t know the full extent of the situation and by then the chase had already taken them downtown, through malls, through pent houses and finally ending in a manufacturing facility.

Zero had brushed off X’s apologies in the aftermath. There hadn’t been time for talking, after all. It hadn’t taken long for Zero to realize that the intruder wasn’t trying particularly hard to kill them seemingly more intent on running away then doing them harm. Zero had adjusted his own tactics accordingly and that had been that.

The intruder had been badly injured: yet another area where they had had to make exceptions in this case. So, instead of dragging an injured and unconscious unknown down to booking, he’d been dragged to medbay and the fussing lifesavers instead. The lifesavers had had a field day with them all, and X had been equally upset that things had escalated the way they had, frustrated and exhausted in equal measure.

The intruder had been unconscious for a day and a half. Security had been tight. Thankfully, the situation had mostly been kept under wraps with the public still unaware of the breach in security but the gossip had run rampant already.

And then the intruder woke up in restraints and all _hell broke loose again._

It was only several hours later after revealing the security footage, that they had gotten an idea of what had happened, and even now Zero still had no idea how he’d gotten out of the restraints. The intruder had gone _ballistic_ , shouting and screaming in what X assumes had been terror. He thrashed and sobbed and then his hands convulsed. A blink later and the intruder was out of his restraints and limping as fast as he could to the door, hyperventilating all the while.

Impossibly, the door locks had been disengaged, the guards outside had been incapacitated, and the intruder had been found on his hands and knees, still weakened from his injuries, and wheezing. Even in that state, X and Zero had _once again_ been needed to intervene.

X was simply thankful that the guards had not been severely injured and the intruder had also not been hurt further. Zero hadn’t needed to be particularly rough to get the Reploid back into cuffs and sitting in the interrogation room where he was now currently either. In that time, they hadn’t gotten much out of the young Reploid aside from one worded answers and him saying their names occasionally. The lifebots had also gotten him to sip a few E-tanks, so the intruder looked less like he was about to keel over in a dead faint.

The debate and gossip had gone nuclear and Zero was already fed up with it all.

On one side of the argument: The intruder was a serious security breach, much harsher measures should be taken, he was a Maverick, this could not go unpunished, they needed answers, massive property damage, such a scandal, blah blah blah.

On the other side: He was only running away, he didn’t kill anyway even though he easily could have, he’s not a Maverick, he’s a kid, X was running after him _not shooting at him_ so what-the-Hell-you-idiots, etc etc.

Zero looked up at X’s sudden exclamation.

“What is he _doing_?”

“What the Hell?!”

The intruder was holding one of the electro cuffs, Zero could see his fingers deftly moving on the underside of it, and the hum of electricity became louder and louder. Zero was aware that they’d upgraded him to the stronger cuffs after his threat status had been upgraded. The fact that Zero and X, both S rank Hunters and legends in their own right, _kept having to be called on_ to deal with him saw to that. Those cuffs were enough to bring even the most violent Mavericks to their knees but the intruder merely looked _bored._ Seconds later the cuffs snapped off and clattered down to the table and Zero was already stalking to the the door.

“How the hell does he keep doing that?” One of the guards muttered in disbelief.

What in the actual fuck was going on?

Enough hand wringing and debate.

Zero wanted _answers._

* * *

The intruder was leaning back in his chair and rubbing his wrists when Zero walked in. The two interrogators had backed up to the far wall, wary and alert. Zero waved them out and they hastily left the room, not bothering to hide their relief.

During the interrogation, the intruder hadn’t said anything to them, and the intruder, Zero noted, couldn’t seem to decide on whether he was bored or amused. The intruder didn’t seem particularly bothered by his current situation and that alone sent up all sorts of red flags in Zero’s mind. It didn’t make much sense to Zero. _None_ of this situation made any sense and Zero has never been fond of puzzles, especially puzzles that were as dangerous as this one was.

The intruder looked up and then blinked in surprise when he saw Zero.

“Hi, Zero,” the intruder said. “I… I’m surprised you’re here. Don’t you have more important things to do?”

It was the most that Zero had heard the intruder say in the last few _hours._

_Interesting,_ Zero noted.

Zero didn’t even bother with the pretense, he ignored the adjacent chairs near the table and remained standing, hand over his saber.

“No sudden movements,” Zero warned him.

“I know how this goes,” The intruder shrugged, unbothered.

Zero opened his mouth to speak but the intruder beat him to it, “And don’t bother telling me to put these back on. I broke them.” The intruder met Zero’s raised eyebrow with one of his own, his lips quirking slightly as if fighting a smile.

Zero felt his eye twitch.

So that’s how it was going to be.

“Let’s start simple.” Zero said. “What’s your name?”

“Axl.”

No hesitation? Hm.

“Alright, Axl. How did you get past the security?”

“I walked through it.”

Zero snorted. If nothing else, he could admire the kid’s guts.

“You _walked_ through it. Great. Why? What was your objective?”

“Curiosity.”

“Cute.” Zero scoffed. “We have the logs. We know what files you accessed. You didn’t clear your tracks as good as you thought, kid. Try again.”

“Sightseeing?”

Zero narrowed his eyes. “This will go a lot easier for you if you cooperate, so enough with the smartass quips. What was your objective?”

“And what happens if I don’t cooperate?” Axl asked, ignoring the question.

“The cuffs were a good hint. Take a wild guess.” Zero waved dismissively.

Zero had noted a few movements from Axl’s expression the longer this went on. Zero was an expert at reading between the lines, he _had_ to be to be as good at his job as he was, but this kid, Zero noted, had a damn good poker face. Still, Zero had years and _years_ of experience.

The kid was admirably keeping the tremors in his arms subdued, but not enough for Zero to miss it. So far, Axl had mostly been keeping his gaze locked on the walls or out of focus, but Zero still caught how his eyes kept wandering to the door. He also noticed that Axl had yet to look him in the eye. In fact, if that occasional flinch was anything to go by when Zero purposely moved in his sights, Axl was _scared_ to look at him. And with how his lip kept moving, and the way the synthetic skin kept tightening, Zero surmised that the Kid was _biting the inside of his lip to keep it shut_.

Which was… Zero honestly wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. Zero’s reputation spoke for itself, so he was used to being feared, but this Reploid’s reactions to him felt a bit _off_. There was definitely more to this than it seemed.

“Humor me,” Axl said, drly.

“Well, personally I’d start with your fingers.” Zero made it a point to drag his gaze down to them lazily. The kid almost managed to hide his sudden tension, relaxing soon after, but Zero had caught the lapse nonetheless. “You can’t break out so easily if you don’t have hands.” Zero kept his face neutral and his tone deceptively even. More points to the kid, he seemed to catch on equally quick.

“No, you wouldn’t.” Was Axl’s bored reply.

“Oh?”

“X wouldn’t let you. He doesn’t have the stomach for it.” Axl said.

_Well, true enough,_ Zero mused.

“Well, just between you and me?” Zero said, walking closer to him.

Changing tactics, he switched to the offensive, leaning forward, getting into Axl’s space until the kid had no where to look except at Zero. Zero saw the fear in his eyes before the kid could hide it. Check.

“ _What X doesn’t know won’t hurt him_.” Zero stage whispered. He kept his tone low, eyes hard, shifting his shoulders so Axl’s eyes focused on his intimidating stance, his hand still hovering over his saber just in case he had miscalculated and needed to defend himself.

Axl’s expression… immediately went blank, Closing off.

Damn, had the kid just shut down on him? _Pushed him too much, too soon,_ Zero realized. _Time to step back a bit._

Zero backpedaled slowly, telegraphing his movements. The kid was still reacting to stimuli at least, but the eye movements were noticeably slower.

“Look, all things considered, this doesn’t have to go further than jail time. You haven’t killed anyone. Management’s still whining about the property damage, yeah, but let’s face it, it could have been far worse if you had actually be trying, so that’s another point in your favor.” Zero crossed his arms, making sure the Kid could see that he was slouching.

The kid’s only noticeable reaction was the skin on his lip tightening again. Biting his inner lip again, then. Still seemed near to shutting down too.

Zero repeated his questions a few more times, changing up how he worded it, but kept his tone light.

Still Nothing.

Not good.

Zero hated this job sometimes for this exact situation. He _hated_ having to do this, but lives were usually on the line, and he was the best they had with the reputation to back it. And this situation could easily go down the rabbit hole if they didn’t get a lock on it quickly and figure out the specifics. Can’t solve the equation without all the variables, and Zero had gone in with nothing and had to establish the baseline from scratch.

Yes, this was serious, and no they couldn’t have avoided violence near the end there, but this still felt like it was going at the problem the wrong way. This could just be some innocent Kid someone had put up to this just as easily as it being for more dangerous reasons. He hated going in blind because he had no way to know if he’d cross a line until they had more variables and it was already too late.

And that was all before you factored in the Reploid’s apparent _youth. This was a child._

When had the kid been activated? Most likely very recently. It couldn’t have been more than a few years, at the most…

The lapse back into selective muteness was not a good sign and Zero couldn’t help the twinge of guilt he felt surging through his core. There was something that felt off about all of this. The kid’s reactions had went against everything Zero had ever seen from most Maverick and Criminal Reploid cases, and it was off putting that he didn’t know how to make sense of it. Lethal capabilities set aside or outright ignored, his reaction to waking up restrained, easily breaching and unlocking encrypted files and security with almost no effort, his almost non-reaction to typical interrogation tactics… But there were also confusing reactions… The kid kept blurring the line between civilian only to then immediately slam back into battle, showing honed reflexes and military training.

Some sort of mask? A persona? The kid definitely had training, there was no getting around that one. But for what purpose? And why would it involve shutting down typical pain responses and knowing interrogation techniques?

Was he a mercenary of some sort? Sure as hell didn’t come off as a civilian and yet the near shut down was how Zero saw many civilians react to being thrown into battlefield situations that they couldn’t cope with. To have it happen so late in the game? What did that mean?

And more importantly… The fact that the kid had not only kept up with, but actively _held his own_ against both X and Zero for _as long as he had_ …

_None of this made sense._

Zero looked up as the door was flung open and X walked in. X gave Zero an unimpressed frown before walking past him and sitting in the one of the chairs opposite of Axl.

Oh, man. They would be having a _talk_ after all this.

* * *

“Hello, Axl.” X began, spreading his palms and keeping his voice gentle.

Maybe X’s gentler tactics would be enough? X was more than capable of defending himself if they had misjudged the situation, after all. Frankly, Zero was starting to think the kid wasn’t going to try to use force. He’d had multiple opportunities in the past few hours alone, not even counting the ones Zero had purposefully given him just to see what he’d do, and Axl hadn’t taken them. It would be good to see how he reacted to the gentler approach, and hopefully X’s compassion would get the kid out of his near shutdown-like state.

“First of all, I want to make it clear to you that you are _safe_ here. I will not let them hurt you, understand?” X spoke softly.

Axl blinked.

Finally, a reaction, Zero was pleased to see. 

“I really didn’t mean to scare you back there, and I’m sorry that I did, but we really do need to know how you got through the security and what you were doing with those files. That is very dangerous information and a lot of people could get hurt if that was to be spread around.”

Axl’s eyes were focusing, and while he didn’t seem to be able to bring himself to meet X’s eyes, he was at least listening and responding more than he had been. Definitely a good sign. Maybe they’d finally get some answers.

“It’s true that you have caused a lot of damage, but it’s also true that it should never have escalated the way it did. And for that, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong, X.” Axl murmured, tiredly.

Zero let out a breath. The kid was talking again, that was good. Zero wasn’t surprised. X was damn good at his job. His charisma and compassion tended to have that effect on most people.

“Be that as it may, I still feel partly responsible.”

“Don’t. Not your fault.” Axl said.

“May I ask why you panicked when you saw me?”

“Realized that my job had just gone from easy to impossible.” Axl replied, shortly.

Zero narrowed his eyes.

X just turned his head in question. “Your job?”

“Mhm. Self-imposed. Trying to stop a war before it begins.”

“Explain.” Zero cut in.

“You wouldn’t believe me and I really don’t feel like wasting my time.”

“Axl, how do you know that if you won’t at least try?” X said, ever the voice of reason. “We’ll hear you out and listen to what you have to say, I promise.”

Axl stared at him as if he wasn’t seeing him.

“Axl?” X prompted.

* * *

** Serious version: **

“I guess we can try it your way,” Axl sighed. “I’m one of Red Alert’s operatives.”

“Red Alert?” X repeated.

“A group of vigilantes that have been taking out Mavericks unsanctioned.” Zero cut in.

“Got it in one.” Axl agreed. “And no they don’t know I’m here … I’d prefer that it stays that way. _They can’t_ know I’m here.”

“Oh? And why not?” Zero asked.

“Because if they do, then there will be a war.”

“Excuse me?” X said. “Explain, please.”

Axl ran a hand through his red hair, “They don’t know it, but there’s a Maverick that has wormed their way into the organization and is trying to pull their strings to get to me. Why? Because of this.” Axl’s formed changed into Nael’s and X took in a quick breath. 

“That’s right.” X replied. “So, that’s how you had gotten through the security threat level scans, isn’t it? You just walked in as Nael, right?”

“Correct.”

“What about the clearance scans?” Zero asked.

“What about them? Act like you belong there and you’re golden. A low level retiree isn’t considered a threat to begin with. Clearance gone, boom, red flag; _but_ the second flag checked out and the guards weren’t concerned, so danger assessment went back low enough that it wasn’t flagged for concern. They don’t really understand the nuance, I guess.”

Zero frowned. “How did you copy Nael?”

“Copy chip.” Noticing Zero’s expression, Axl gives him a pointed look. “I _didn’t_ kill him, if that’s what you’re worried about. When copy shot is fatal, the A trans lasts longer, More DNA data to work with or something I guess, but it’s _not_ necessary... Just means I don’t have as much time to waltz around in a borrowed suit, is all. He’ll be fine.”

“Meaning you _did_ hurt him?” Zero pushed.

“I barely touched him.” Axl glared at Zero. “The guy didn’t even know I was there, Hell, he’ll probably think he tripped and fell or something.”

“How did you know he had retired?”

“How else? I have optics and auditory sensors. I did my research.”

X lifted his hands. “We’re getting off topic. So, this Maverick wants you for your ability to copy other Reploids? Why would your being here cause a war?”

“Because a lot of the idiots in Red Alert are starting to buy in to that psycho’s babbling about power, and it doesn’t help that he’s pretending he’s an innocent, harmless professor either. I’ve been getting sent on missions, targeting innocent Reploids for their DNA just to fuel their power trip, and I’m sick of it.” Seeing both of their looks, Axl grunted in frustration. “I _didn’t_ kill them. Stop looking at me like that.

Axl continued, “Anyway, at first I just played along with it and made excuses. I didn’t know if Red, er, my boss, would believe me if I went to him with this. For the longest time all I had to go on was a hunch. Red Alert has started heavily relying on my powers, and that Maverick has gotten pushier and hasn’t _stopped_ pushing me for more, and the others are just caving to him, and I’m starting to think Red hasn’t noticed or just doesn’t care enough to stop it. If they are going along with it now... going along with the professor’s ideas and using me… then what are they going to do when I stop enabling them? What if Red starts buying in to it too? What if he orders me to start killing innocents for their DNA data? I couldn’t pretend anymore. I still can’t…”

“Why wouldn’t your boss believe you? Do you not have proof?” X asked.

“I do, but nothing that they would believe.”

Zero scoffed, still skeptical.

“You’re pretty damn sure about that Professor being a Maverick and you being important enough for them to go to war over you for it. You just admitted all you had to go on was a hunch. What changed?”

“That’s the part you wouldn’t believe.” Axl sighed.

“Axl, you have to give us _something._ I want to believe you that this Professor is a maverick, and what you’ve just described sounds like something we’d need to step in for, but how are you so sure? We need proof. Something, anything more to go on, so that we know you’re telling the truth. You have to admit, this does sound like a lot of superstancial evidence.”

Axl studied them for a moment before he put his head in his hands, and he couldn’t hide the trembling, reminding Zero rather acutely that this kid still wasn’t fully recovered and had to be exhausted.

“You know what? I don’t even care anymore.” Axl looked back up at them, fatigue clear in his eyes. Resigned. “The Professor’s real name is _Sigma_.”

* * *

**....And just for fun:**

**!! Goofy Version !!: **

Axl blinked a few times and then shook his head as if to clear it. He seemed to have come to a decision a few seconds later when he said, “Zero.”

Zero raised an eyebrow. “What?

“You and X like to lounge on that hideous pink couch that Alia had installed in your office when you refused to recharge one too many times. She still catches you both sleeping there when you’re off duty. She’s too nice to tease you about it.”

What.

No, really. _What._

“X’s password to his journal is a bunch of zeros. And yes, he has a journal, because of course he does. He keeps changing how many zeroes there are whenever you figure out how many the current password has. He had used an old fashion paper journal before but you got on his case for it being a security hazard and threatened to burn it. And then you _did_ burn it. X wouldn’t talk you to for weeks.”

What.

Axl turned to X, “You bought Zero a heavy duty comb a while ago because you noticed he was having trouble keeping it tidy and it was bothering him, and then one day you started helping him brush it without realizing you were doing it, he told you it was okay and not to stop, you kept on helping with it, and now you both think of it as routine maintenance.”

_What?_

But Axl wasn’t finished.

“X, you’re a workaholic to insane levels and even Zero think you’re nuts sometimes. One time he got so fed up with you, he picked you up and dragged you all the way to the medbay kicking and screaming and then he _sat on you_ when you kept fighting him. A lot of the equipment ended up broken but the lifesavers only wrote up a vague report and Signas let it slide.”

“X doesn’t lose his temper very often when he’s working with the human officials, and it’s very hard to really piss him off for long, but when he does you find it hilarious. You were there, Zero, when he got the call and told a senator to go fuck himself in front of everyone in command. You wouldn’t stop teasing him about it for weeks and to get back at you, X set your training sims to the easiest level and password locked it so you’d have to beg him to unlock it. Unfortunately, there was a glitch in the system, and the difficulty got stuck at maximum. The recruits thought you were trying to kill them all and you ended up having to remove the lock anyway while the mechanics fixed it.”

What. The. Fuck.

“Oh, and then there was that time when you were worried about X and wanted him to relax, so you pretended there was a Maverick attack at a carnival and then—“

“Stop!”

“That’s enough!”

* * *

Inside the observation room, Signas grabbed his chin, deep in thought. “So _that’s_ what had happened…”

* * *

“For what it’s worth,” Axl spoke up after a few minutes of silence. “I _did_ warn you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this has made me realize that I can't, and never will, be able to spell "Professor" without using spell check. The more you know!
> 
> (rant warning)  
> Also just throwing this out here, but I found X7's X INSUFFERABLE. So... yeaaah, not going there.
> 
> Axl: single handedly kills sigma while they both stand there  
> X: You're too reckless, REEEEE!! You're making my mistakes!  
> Me: *facepalm*
> 
> I get it, X HATES violence and hates that he has to do it, and he's pushed himself to do it anyway, because, well, who else will? And now it's gotten so bad that he's given up and just doesn't want to face it anymore. But the way the game handled that? just. UGHHHH  
> Oh, and let's not forget Signas being all "hey, how dare you try to do the right thing. This is your fault! just go back to them!" -_-
> 
> I still kind of find it amusing (and infuriating) how they seemed to ping pong X's characterization between games. eh, Iike I'm one to talk, but still. *whistles innocently*
> 
> -end rant-
> 
> So first, how Axl's copy shot works in the game: kill enemy, copy them. Me: naaaah I don't wanna. in this verse: He can just get partial for kicks but it won't last as long.  
> Second: Axl being all "ew cuffs lol no" and just casually picking the locks off just amuses me too much. Also, he's from the future. Of course he knows all their passwords and how to bypass their security. :D
> 
> Also, Axl's comments on Red's take on the situation isn't to be trusted. He's panicking, think's he's alone and that things are gonna happen the way they did last time.  
> Spoiler: He's wrong. ;)
> 
> and hoo boy, if you guys/gals could hear what was going through Axl's head during this, I'd have to tag for heavy angst. :P 
> 
> also, I have no idea how long it'll take me to post more. Things have been hectic and I find writing very, very difficult, so I REALLY have to be in the mood for it. I usually just play games: there's less thinking involved. That being said, I'll try! Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
